The Lawyer
by LeisaTheGreat
Summary: Gage and DeSoto respond to customers trapped in a shopping mall elevator, and later the paramedics are caught in the middle of a gang war while treating a patient. Johnny has an infatuation for a lady lawyer and is driving the station crazy talking about her. Hurt Johnny, hurt Roy. More pathetic humor... Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

* * *

"Good morning, good morning, _good_ morning!" Johnny says cheerily as he hops over the benches in the locker room next to Roy. Shedding his denim jacket, he whistles a happy tune until his partner, still drowsy from his "weekend off" spent at Joanne's sister's house babysitting her three kids, finally turns and stares.

"You're in an awfully good mood this morning..." he remarks drearily.

Johnny grins as he slips his uniform on. "Well that, my good man, is because I met the most incredible girl last night at the movies."

Roy sighs internally, leaning back on his locker. "And I suppose you want me to ask you all about her."

Gage raises an eyebrow at his partner's mood. "Well not if you're gonna be so negative about it."

"Good." Roy turns back to his open locker and finishes buttoning up his shirt. He ignores the irritated snort from Johnny as he, too, wraps up getting ready for their shift. The other men of A-shift pass through, say their sleepy good mornings, and disappear to the showers or kitchen without another word.

Glancing over at Johnny, Roy finds him tying his boots with a sour expression on his face. DeSoto silently groans, feeling a pang of guilt for dampening his friend's bright mood just because _he_ had a bad weekend. So he's just opening his mouth to apologize when Johnny interrupts.

His tone is matter-of-fact when he says, "She's a lawyer, ya know."

"Who is?" Chet asks, coming around the corner with a cup of coffee in hand.

Gage grins and gives Roy a smug look before turning back to Kelly. "My date."

Chet nods, impressed. "You're dating a lawyer, huh? I gotta say, Gage, I'm almost impressed. What's she like?"

"Ya know, I thought you'd never ask..."

 _Oh geez..._ Roy shakes his head and sits down on the bench. This is going to take a while.

"Her name's Bethany. I met her at the movies last night and she is just the most incredible woman I think I've ever met! I mean, she's intelligent, she's funny, she's gorgeous...!" He shakes his head, as if still in awe. "And we got along real good, I mean I don't think I've ever hit it off quite so well with any other girl! And you know what's the best part?"

Chet shakes his head.

"We've got a dinner date scheduled for tonight." Johnny says with a big grin.

"Tonight?" Roy asks. "Johnny, I don't know if you realize this, but you're on shift tonight."

"Ohh, look who's finally interested." Gage remarks arrogantly.

Roy rolls his eyes.

"As it just so happens, I've got a lot of vacation days saved up and I plan to use one for tomorrow. Which means, no Roy, I'm not on shift tonight."

Admittedly, Chet and DeSoto exchange wide eyed looks. "You're using a vacation day for this girl? Wow, I don't think you've ever done anything like that before...so you really are serious about this chick, huh?" Kelly comments, earning a nod from Johnny.

"I'm tellin' you, she's really something else..."

"Who is?" Captain Stanely asks as he joins the group. But before Johnny gets another chance to gush on his new lady friend, they're interrupted by dispatch tones.

 _Squad 51, Engine 51, people trapped in elevator, 247 Summit Avenue, 2-4-7- Summit, timeout 733._

They're moving even before the dispatcher finishes. Johnny hops in the passenger side of the squad and scribbles down the address, while Roy takes the wheel and maneuvers them onto the street, sirens wailing.

The engine sticks close on their tail as they head toward the very familiar address of the local shopping mall. A favorite of Joanne's and many other residents of the county...

* * *

The firemen are greeted by a frantic young man in the parking lot of the mall. He waves and yells for them to hurry.

"Where's the elevator?" Johnny asks as he grabs the drug box from the squad.

"Straight back! You'll have to take the steps." The man replies, "And you better hurry. I heard one of them yelling earlier. Sounded like he might've been having a panic attack or something!"

"What floor is it stuck on?" Roy asks.

"Uh, the seventh."

"They're pretty far up there." Cap mutters, shielding his eyes from the sun as he counts the windows up to seven. Turning back to his men, he calls out for the jaws, some lifelines, and the stokes. "Gage, DeSoto, you two head in see if you can make any headway getting into the elevator."

"Right." They say, jogging to the double glass doors.

"Sir, what's your name?" Captain Stanely asks the young man.

"Alvey," he says. "James Alvey. I'm the manager of the store the elevator got stuck in."

"Alright, you stay with us, we may need to ask you some questions about the layout of the store."

"Of course! Anything you need!"

* * *

Up six flights of steps, Johnny and Roy are out of breath but in full rescue mode. "Hello?" They call down to the elevator, theoretically stuck right below them. "Hello? Can anyone hear us?"

There's a moment of concerning silence before the voice of a woman calls out to them. "Yes! Yes, thank God! We're trapped in here!"

"Don't worry, we're with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, we're here to get you out!"

"Please hurry! There's a man sick in here!"

"We'll be right down!"

"I'll head in," Johnny says, securing a lifeline around his waist. "Get on the line with Rampart and send down the drug box."

"Alright."

Chet and Marco pry open the elevator doors with the jaws while Johnny finishes readying his line and Roy ties the drug and trauma boxes to the other ropes. A few minutes of steel screeching and bending results in a gap just wide enough for Gage to slip through.

Inching close to the gap, he peers down to find the roof of the elevator just about ten feet down. The hatch leading inside is directly under his feet as the firemen lower him down. And when he finally reaches his destination, he hears the people inside gasping with terror at the loud bang of his boots hitting the metal above them.

"It's alright," he says, as soothingly as possible. "I'm coming in. Clear the way of the hatch if you can."

He hears movement inside...and a few whimpers of pain. "Hey, Roy?"

"Yeah?"

"Send down the boxes, sounds like we've got injured inside as well."

"Right."

Johnny opens the hatch and climbs down, landing in the dimly lit elevator full of nervous, trembling shoppers. Four in total. A middle aged woman who looks to be in fine health, who Gage can only assume to be her young son, who is sitting on the ground clutching his slightly swollen leg, a hefty man laying on his back covered in sweat...and...and...

For a moment, Johnny can only stare in disbelief. "Bethany?!"

* * *

"Johnny? Everything okay down there?" Roy calls out, once it's been quiet for too long. The kits have been lowered down to him but Johnny hasn't asked for Rampart yet...

"Uh...yeah, yeah, everything's fine...uh...just hang on...!"

At that, the firemen exchange confused glances.

"Johnny, you want me to come down there?" Roy offers.

"Uh, no. No, just get ahold of Rampart, would you? We've got two victims in here. Standby for vitals."

"Aaalright..." Picking up the biophone, Roy begins the transmission. "Rampart, this is rescue 51. How do you read?"

 _"Reading you loud and clear, 51."_

"Rampart, we've got two victims trapped in an elevator. Standby for vitals."

 _"Standing by, 51."_

"Roy? You ready for those vitals?" Gage asks, his voice echoing in the large elevator shaft.

"Yeah!"

"Alright..." Roy can hear Johnny shuffling around in the elevator, probably going back and forth between victims. "Patient one is male, age 45, obese. He's pale and diaphoeric. Also seems to be in a great deal of pain but there are no visible injuries. Vitals are: pulse 40, respirations 23, BP 140/90.

"Victim two is also male, age 13. Suffering from a probable sprained talus with minor swelling. Vitals are: pulse 90, respirations 17, BP 110/80."

Roy repeats the information to Rampart as Johnny continues shuffling around below. Distantly, he notices his partner talking in a hushed tone to one of the trapped shoppers. One of the women. "10-4, Rampart. Johnny!"

"Yeah?"

"On victim number one, establish IV D5W and start an EKG."

"Right!" A few seconds later, he calls up that the he's done and Roy begins transmitting to Rampart.

"This will be lead two, Rampart."

 _"51, the patient is in sinus rhythm. Are you able to transport?"_

"Uh, that's a negative, Rampart."

 _"10-4, continue monitoring victim one and transport as soon as possible. For victim two, immobilize the ankle, keep it elevated, and transport."_

"10-4, Rampart. Over." Roy hangs up the phone and advises Johnny before turning to Captain Stanley. "We've got a possible cardiac victim in there, so we need to move fast."

Hank nods. "I'm thinking we try one floor down. They're a little further away than I thought, so we might be able to reach them from down there."

"Good idea."

"Chet, Mike, Marco, let's go. Bring the jaws!"

"Yes sir!"

As the firemen jog back down the stairs, Roy glances over the edge of the elevator shaft. "Johnny? You doing okay in there?"

"Yeah, just finishing up with victim two!"

"Alright. Cap and the others are gonna try to get in there to you, but Rampart wants you to keep a close eye on victim one until they do. You want me down there to help out?"

"Yeah, I've got my hands full!"

"Alright, be right down! I'm sending the biophone first so watch your head!"

* * *

Johnny's got his stethoscope pressed to the possible cardiac case when Roy lowers himself in. Admittedly, the younger paramedic's own heart skips a beat when the metal trap around them sways and grinds on its track with the added weight. The man's blood pressure hasn't moved much, so he switches to pulse.

"Beth, you can hand that IV off to Roy now. Thanks for your help."

"Glad to be of some use..." Says the pretty young blonde sitting in the corner. Roy takes the drip with a raised eyebrow.

"Beth?" he asks softly, leaning toward Johnny, who gives him a weary look.

"Yeah. Roy, meet Bethany. Bethany, that's my partner, Roy."

"Nice to meet you, Roy..." she says, her voice trembling slightly as the elevator gives another jerk and shrieks a bit against the left wall.

"You too, Johnny's told me all about you."

"Really," she mutters, "I hope that's a good thing..."

"It is," he assures her, trying to be comforting even as the lights flicker and there's a loud creak above them. Where are the captain and the others?! "You're looking a little pale, are you feeling alright?"

Johnny looks up, hearing that.

But Bethany only laughs shakily. "Yeah, I'm fine. I guess hanging in an elevator seven flights up is a little different from a courtroom though...although not by much."

Roy chuckles and tells her they'll be fine. As if to punctuate his promise, they can finally hear the voices of the firemen outside the door, just a few feet below them. And there's a knock on the wall.

"Johnny? We're gonna go ahead and try to get these doors off so keep everyone clear of them, okay?"

"Right, Cap!" Roy replies, ushering Bethany into the back corner of the elevator beside the mother and her son, whose leg is now swaddled in a splint. There's not much they can do for the three hundred pound man sprawled out on his back, but Roy positions himself so that if sparks and chunks of steel start to fly, they'll hit his turnouts, not the patient.

And then the silence of the elevator is drowned by the horrid gnashing of the jaws shredding steel and drywall. Dust and even a little bit of smoke sprays in through the hatch overhead... However, so does light.

The ruckus goes on for what feels like an hour, though it probably can't be more than fifteen minutes before the doors are fully open, and the machine goes to work on their own escape route. Roy offers a calm smile to the other shoppers, just as the beeping of the EKG machine starts to pick up pace...

"Roy, he's going into full arrest."

"Rampart, this is squad 51! Patient one has entered cardiac arrest."

Johnny snaps open the defibrillator and squeezes gel onto the paddles, already predicting Rampart's advice.

 _"51, defibrillator the victim and send another strip."_

"10-4."

"Clear!" With an electrified thump, the man spasms and jerks against the floor.

"Rampart, this is lead two."

 _"51, I'm still reading sinus tach. Defibrillator again."_

"Clear!"

"Lead two, Rampart."

 _"The victim has entered sinus rhythm. 51, what is the status of your transport?"_

"Approximate ten minutes."

 _"10-4, 51. Add a drip of heparin to the patient's IV and continue monitoring closely. I want an update on the victim's status every five minutes. Transport as soon as possible."_

"10-4, Rampart." Roy hangs up and turns to Johnny. "You hear him?"

"Yeah, I heard." Johnny takes a drip of the anti-coagulant and adds it to the man's IV. Meanwhile, Roy is listening to the progress of the other firemen just outside their door. There's now a gap about four inches wide show the sixth floor to be at Roy's head level. That will make it difficult to get the victim out...but the stokes will make it a little easier.

So for now, they wait...


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two**_

* * *

As the ambulance doors close and the vehicle drives away, both patients and his partner inside, Roy finally relaxes. He's sitting on the bumper of the squad, applying a bandage to where some flying sparks singed a spot on his hand, when Johnny's lady friend approaches with a sheepish grin.

"Hi, Roy..." she says, her arms folded across her stomach.

He stands up. "Hey, Bethany."

"I, uh, just wanted to thank you...for your help. I don't think I've...ever been so scared in my entire life..."

"Well, it was a frightening experience. Even for us," he admits with a short laugh.

"Not that you show it...either of you."

"Well it's part of our job to always remain calm," he explains. "I'm sure you can relate." Bethany chuckles and shakes her head.

"Sure, but my job doesn't require me to...put my life on the line like that... Is it always like this for you two?"

"Well, not always..." he tells her. "But we see our fair share of action, yeah."

"Hm..." There's a distant expression on her face and a pinch between her eyebrows. Her hands are still trembling.

"Look, are you sure you're alright? I can drive you to Rampart General to have them take a look if you want..."

"No, no, I'm fine. Just a little shaken. Just uh..." Suddenly a pager in her pocket gives an angry beep and sighs, shaking her head. "I'm going to drop by the hospital later to check in on that man, but in case I miss you guys, tell Johnny I said thanks too."

"Sure thing, Bethany."

"Thanks, Roy." With that, she walks off toward the parking lot, where he assumes her car to be parked. The paramedic follows her example and gets into the squad. Roy picks up the CB. "Squad 51 en route to Rampart."

 _"Squad 51."_

* * *

"I'm tellin' you, Dix, this girl really is something else!" Johnny insists, "Even her name! _Bethany_. It-it's like a movie star, don't you think?"

"Well I'm glad the two of you really hit it off." Dixie says for probably the fifth time now. Don't get her wrong. She loves Johnny. And she's thrilled he's finally found a nice girl he seems to be head over heels for... But she's been hearing about this 'Bethany' for almost fifteen minutes. If this goes on for much longer, she won't even need to meet the lady. She'll already know her whole life story.

So, of course, Dixie thanks her lucky stars when Johnny's better half comes around the corner of the nurse's station looking as stoic and silent as ever. "Hey there, Roy," she greets, cutting Gage off mid-sentence. "What took you so long?" Her tone is light and casual but there's an underlying desperation that he understands all too well.

"Sorry, had to fill up the squad," he says. Then turning to Johnny, asks, "How're the victims?"

"The boy's fine, just a minor sprain. Morton's already sent him home. As for the cardiac case, well...he's in surgery right now with Brackett and Early. Didn't look too good."

"Hm," Roy shakes his head. "It's a shame. I hope he makes it through."

"Yeah, so do I." Johnny pauses for a beat and then stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Say, Roy, I didn't get much chance to talk to Beth after we got out...how'd she seem to you?"

"She was shaken, but that's to be expected. She wanted me to tell you thanks for your help."

Johnny nods. "I should be thanking _her_. You know, she did a lot to keep that mother and her son calm while I treated the man. Held the drip for me too so I had a free hand...she was almost a better partner than you, Roy." By the grin on his face, Roy can tell he's only teasing...but he rolls his eyes anyway.

"Maybe you should tell her that."

"Huh?"

"I just saw Bethany at the reception desk. Said she'd be back in a few minutes."

"Wha-really?"

"Yup...and here she comes now."

Johnny whips around just in time to nearly collide with his date as she approaches the nurse's station with a briefcase and a cup of coffee in hand. The latter of which nearly spills down the front of her blouse and the former skids several feet across the tiled floor. "Ahh-sorry, Beth! Hang on."

Roy grins and leans back next to Dix as Johnny chases after her briefcase and brings it back with a sheepish look on his face.

"Thanks," she says with a smile. "I'm glad I caught you guys before you had to leave. How's that man? And the boy?"

Johnny repeats what he told Roy to Bethany and she nods in understanding.

"Well I hope it ends well..." she mutters.

"He's with the two best surgeons in the county, so I wouldn't worry too much," Dixie tells her, standing up from her lounged position behind the counter. "It's nice to meet you, Bethany. Our little Johnny, here, has told me a lot about you."

The two women shake hands.

"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage..." Bethany admits, looking to Johnny for help.

"Beth, this is Dixie. She just about runs this place," he says.

"If only that were true," Dix laughs.

"It's nice to meet you, Dixie. I-"

 _Beep, beep, beep._

"Ahhh...that's for me. Sorry, everyone, I gotta run," Bethany says, taking one more sip of her coffee before tossing the styrofoam cup in the trash can. She spares one more moment to lean in and give Johnny a peck on the cheek and ask if their date is still on for that night. To which Johnny gives a whole-hearted affirmative. She smiles and hurries back out the door.

"Well, well, well...seems like Johnny's not the only one who's a bit head over heels..." Dixie teases, elbowing Roy in the ribs.

"Yep. I never thought I'd see the day, Dix."

Johnny's still a little red in the cheeks when he turns to grin at his friends. "She's a lawyer, ya know?"

* * *

Back at the station, the kitchen table is covered in the makings for lunch as Gage flips the sizzling burgers on the stove. He's humming to himself as the other men talk about last night's game, their weekends, the fish Marco caught at the lake, and really anything else that keeps them from hearing the word "Bethany" for a few more precious moments.

"Aaalright, lunch is served!" Johnny says, turning off the stove. He passes the plate stacked with burgers to Roy, who divvies them out.

"Burgers again, Gage?" Chet sighs. "Whatever happened to that cookbook you got? That soup you made was delicious!"

"Yeah, you've gotta give me that recipe." Cap agrees.

"Uhh...it's um, well-" Sinking down in his chair, Johnny is trying to come up with a feasible excuse when they hear the tones.

 _Squad 51, man down, 773 Route 30 District Heights, Cross street 1st. Timeout 1545._

"Save us some burgers!" Johnny says as he and Roy jump right back out of their chairs and run to the squad. Gage checks the map and jots down the location while Roy answers the dispatch.

"Squad 51, KMG-365."

"That address is the restaurant on Route 30, isn't it?" Johnny asks as he tightens the chin strap on his helmet.

"I think so, yeah. Why?"

Johnny smirks. "That's where I'm taking Beth tonight."

 _Great. Here we go again..._ "That's great, Johnny. Let's just focus on the rescue, alright?"

"Sure, sure...hm...ya know, Roy, she really is somethin' else..."

Roy sighs.

* * *

As soon as squad 51 pulls into the barren parking lot of the restaurant, the hairs on the back of Roy's neck stand on end...

The windows are dark, there isn't a single vehicle anywhere to be seen, even in the street.

"Johnny, what time did you say this place opens up?"

"Uh, about five..."

Roy looks down at his watch and frowns. "It's almost four thirty. Don't you think there'd be an employee or someone here...?"

"You think they gave us the wrong address?"

"Could be..."

Johnny picks up the CB and decides to ask. "Dispatch, this squad 51, can we have a repeat on that address?"

 _"10-4, 51. Address is: 773 Route 30 District Heights, Cross street 1st."_

"10-4, Dispatch. Squad 51 at scene." Johnny sets down the receiver and looks at Roy. With a shrug, the paramedics exit the vehicle and grab the drug box and biophone, just to start. "Where do you think this guy's at?"

"I dunno. Let's split up and search for him. I'll check the front door, make sure he isn't inside."

"Mmkay." Johnny says, jogging around the side of the building into a dingy-looking alley.

Sure enough, the decorative white paint on the front door announces opening hours to be five in the evening...strange that there wouldn't be anyone here yet getting ready. Roy tries the doorknob and finds it tightly secured. The windows are all intact so unless there's a backdoor-

"Roy! I found him! Better bring the trauma box!"

With a clench in his gut, Roy grabs the supplies from the squad and hurries into the filthy alley, where he finds his partner kneeling behind some trash cans next to a man laying flat on his stomach, blood pooling around a gun shot wound to his upper right abdomen.

Roy opens the biophone as Johnny turns the man over and begins taking vitals. Both of them shift uncomfortably at the darkness of their surroundings and the instinctive buzz of paranoid fear along their arms and neck. LA can be a nice place. But it can also be dangerous.

 _"Dispatch to squad 51. Dispatch to squad 5-1."_

"Squad 51. Go ahead Dispatch."

 _"51, be aware of reported shots fired in your vicinity. LAPD en route. ETA 15 minutes."_

"10-4, Dispatch. How is he?" Roy asks, clipping his handie talkie to his belt again.

"Not good," Johnny mutters. "Put pressure on that wound for me, woulda?"

"Yeah." Scooting closer, Roy presses the heels on his hands firmly over the wound and grimaces when blood begins leaking through his fingers. He's losing a lot of blood.

"Rampart, this is squad 51."

 _"Go ahead, 51."_

"Rampart, I've a got victim here. Male, age 25. He's suffering from a gun shoot wound to the upper right abdomen and has lost approximately a quart of blood. His skin is cold and clammy and he's shocky. Vitals are: pulse 120, respirations 30 and shallow, BP 90/100."

 _"51, start an IV with ringers lactate and keep pressure on the wound. Apply shock trousers and transport as soon as possible. Continuing monitoring vitals."_

"10-4, Rampart." Johnny moves quickly to get the IV started, entirely focused on the task at hand. However, Roy can't help but continually peek over his shoulder at the mouth of the alley where he can just barely see the bumper of the squad.

He's got goosebumps...and it's not from the cold.

"We're gonna need stokes," Johnny says, standing up. "Stay with him. I'll be right back." As he jogs away, Roy calls after him to watch himself. He doesn't need to remind Johnny where they are. Or what kind of injury they're dealing with.

As his partner disappears around the corner, Roy returns his attention to the victim. The man's skin is still losing color and occasionally his arms or legs will jerk. Fortunately, though, there's no sign of cyanosis.

Roy watches his respirations carefully. Shallow and a bit raspy. The count per minute is down now. Twenty-five breaths. Whether that's good or not, he isn't sure yet. He decides to have Johnny ask Rampart when he returns with the stokes...

But a minute passes.

And then another.

And still no Johnny.

Roy impatiently cranes his neck, trying to see around the corner. He hasn't heard a peep from Gage or anyone else. Far, far in the distance, he thinks he hears police sirens.

"Johnny?" he hisses, instinctively feeling like he should be whispering... "Johnny? What's taking so long with that stokes?"

He doesn't get an immediately response. But just as he's about to call out again, he hears his handie-talkie fizzing with quiet chatter. His hands are still pressed to the victim's wound so he can't pick it up to listen too closely...

But it sure does sound like Johnny's voice...whispering into the radio.

 _"Dispatch, this is squad 51. Requesting police backup immediately. Paramedics in danger. I repeat, squad 51 in danger. Requesting police backup at our location!"_

 _"10-4, 51. LAPD ETA is now five minutes. How critical is your situation?"_

 _"Uhh, I-"_

 _ **BANG!**_

Roy wrips his handie talkie off his belt with one, bloody hand. "That's shots fired, Dispatch! Squad 51 is under fire!"

 _"10-4, 51. LAPD is nearly at your location. They want to know if anyone is wounded."_

When Johnny doesn't respond, Roy lifts his radio again.

"Unknown. One possible Code I."

 _"ETA is now three minutes, 51."_

Sirens are wailing in the distance, but the voices of many, angry-sounding men are even closer. Roy stiffens at the sound of heavy footfalls approaching the alleyway.

Three men dressed in gang colors appear around the corner. They're panting and shouting angrily in a language Roy doesn't understand. The lead man has a pistol in his hand...he can't tell in the others are armed or not.

The man with the gun is pointing at Roy's patient and yelling.

"I-I don't know understand what you're-" Roy tries, only to flinch when the man stomps forward a few steps and screams something else. The sirens don't sound much closer...

Roy swallows and looks down, trying to maintain his composure. He has to keep his head...

Blood is still pouring from the victim's wound. Soaking through his shirt...

Soaking through his...opposing gang colors.

...oh.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three**_

 _ **A/N: I was hoping to release this yesterday or the day before but it turned out to be quite a lot more time consuming than I thought to wrap this one up. Anyway, thanks to everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed!**_

* * *

When Johnny comes to, he's laying on his back behind the squad, staring up at the darkening Los Angeles sky. A street lamp overhead can't seem to stay in focus and it keeps going fuzzy... He can hear his heart thumping in his ears. Pulse 130.

Even through his muffled ears, still keening from the report of the pistol, mere inches from his head, Johnny makes out the sound of voices. Loud, angry, male voices.

And the fizzy, watered-down voices of firemen over his handie-talkie which lays on the ground just beyond his fingertips. He recognizes Captain Stanely's among them...

And that's when he notices the sirens. Not police sirens, either.

The ground trembles below him as Engine 51 whips into the parking lot. Men whose faces he can't make out in the dark and his blurry vision hop out of the vehicle armed with axes, hoses, and crowbars.

There's some more shouting and he tries to sit up, to see what's happening...but someone is holding his shoulder and tells him to stay still. Gage blinks, squinting, and tries to make out who it is and where they are. But he can't see them. All he figures out is that one hand is on his shoulder, but the other one is pressed to the side of his neck.

The shouting stops when police sirens finally arrive. There's a thunder of footsteps and metal clicking and finally, doors slamming shut. More people gather around him, and finally he manages to make out a few coherent words. Although, for some reason, speech sounds jumbled to him. Confusing. Like gibberish.

Still, he recognizes Roy's voice among them so that's good enough. Roy always knows what he's doing.

* * *

Roy doesn't know what to do.

He's got two victims now, both in critical condition, and only an ambulance for one. Sure, Marco requested another one with an estimated ETA of fifteen minutes...but that still leaves the question.

Send the injured gang member who's bleeding uncontrollably and going into shock?

Or Johnny Gage, the rescue man, whose throat was grazed by a bullet which may have pierced the carotid artery, now unconscious and fighting for breath.

Protocol demands their patient go first. And that Roy accompany him. But if he goes and Johnny crashes...there will be no one qualified here to help him. But if he sends Johnny first, and their original victim bleeds out...

It's a no win situation.

"Rampart, this is squad 51," he says, purposefully monotoned. "I've got another victim."

 _"Go ahead, 51."_

"Victim is male, age 28, suffering from a graze to the throat by a bullet. Artery possibly compromised. Vitals are: pulse 120, respirations 35 and shallow, BP 75/40. Skin is cold and diaphoretic."

 _"51, is the victim showing signs of shock?"_

"Uh, that's a negative for now, Rampart."

 _"Okay. 51, on victim two, start an IV with ringers lactate and keep pressure on the wound. Monitor vitals and update every five minutes. Transport as soon as possible."_

"Uh, Rampart, there is currently only transport for one victim. No other paramedics or qualified medical technicians at site. Additional ambulances and squad en route but ETA is 15 minutes. Please advise."

Roy hears the hand pass over Brackett's mouth and the doctor quietly consulting with Dixie, although he can't make out the words.

 _"51, what is the status of victim one?"_

"Uh, standby, Rampart." Roy turns around to where the gang man has been stretched out on a stokes. There are dark circles under his eyes and he's trembling violently, despite the shock trousers and IV. The paramedics takes a quick series of vitals and returns to the phone. "Rampart, victim one is still shocky. Pale and diaphoretic. Pulse is 120, respirations 40 and shallow, BP 80/150. His wound has been bandaged but still bleeding heavily."

 _"51, transport victim one as soon as possible. Have Gage stay behind with victim two until additional squad arrives."_

Roy grimaces and runs a hand through his hair. Brackett must have misunderstood when he said 'no other paramedics at site'. He must have thought they were only concerned with which victim to transport first and which to leave behind...

"Rampart," he says, inwardly scolding himself when a little of the panic he's feeling is betrayed in the quake in his voice. "Gage is unable to preform his duties at this time. Victim two is Johnny Gage."

* * *

As Brackett hangs up with 51, he leans heavily on the edge of the table, the weight of his decision hanging on his conscience. He smiles fleetingly at Dixie when the nurse places a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think there was a better choice, Kel," she says. "You did all you could."

"I just hope it was the right decision, Dix."

Both of them glance up as the door to the office opens behind them.

"What have we got?" Dr. Early asks.

Brackett sighs and straightens up. "Two gun shot victims with complications coming in. Complications being that there wasn't enough transport or paramedics there for both of them so squad 51 had to wait an extra fifteen minutes." Kel hands his notepad with the details to Doctor Early, who scans them with a trained eye.

"I'll take the victim one in three," says Early.

Brackett nods. "Then I'll have them take Johnny to five."

"Johnny?"

Kel smirks weakly and nods again. "Johnny Gage is victim two."

* * *

As the ambulance pulls in, Roy is met with not only hospital staff, but police as well. An LAPD officer escourts victim one personally to room three where Early is said to be waiting for him. He doesn't follow them, though. Instead, Roy stands aside and waits until the second ambulance has parked before hurrying around back to help get Johnny out.

"How'd he do?" Roy asks the paramedic from station 73.

"Not too bad, condition hasn't changed much. He's semi conscious now." Surely enough, Johnny's eyes are open. Just slits of brown showing under his heavy eyelids.

"Hey, Junior," Roy says, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "How you doing?"

"Uhnn...not bad..." Gage relies groggily. Though DeSoto doesn't think it's the blood loss making him drowsy. More than likely, it's the drip of morphine attached to his IV.

"Good, you just hang in there, pal," Roy tells him. "Brackett's waiting for him in five."

"Right."

Roy walks alongside the gurney, holding the IV drip as they wheel him toward the door which Dixie is holding for them. They park the gurney beside the examination bed and between Roy, Brackett, and the station 73 paramedics, they easily lift Johnny onto the bed and get the gurney out of the way so the doctor can have a look at him. Brackett looks only briefly at the neatly bandaged wound on the fireman's neck before moving on.

"Pulse is down to 100," Dixie says. "Respirations are 20, blood pressure's just a little low. 85/55."

Kel nods and tips Johnny's head back, gently holding his eyelids open as he flicks a light over both eyes. "Johnny, can you hear me?" he asks softly.

"Uh-huh..."

"Good, can you move your arms for me?"

Johnny weakly lifts both arms. Roy smirks when his partner also makes fists and flexes his fingers. Show off.

"That's good. How about your legs?"

Left leg first, then the right. He curls his toes without being asked.

"That's great, Johnny. Looks like there's no spinal damage, but I'd still like a few pictures, just to be safe."

Gage grunts a reluctant affirmative and Dixie makes the call. Meanwhile, Roy helps the good doctor set up a bag of plasma to replace some of the blood his friend lost, and the paramedics from station 73 quietly excuse themselves to get back to work.

"So you think he'll alright?" Roy asks, watching with some relief as the color slowly returns to Gage's face.

"I'll know more once I've got the x-rays, but fortunately the bullet missed any vital arteries and it doesn't look it touched his spine, so I think he'll be back on his feet as soon as that wound heals up and he's got his strength back. Obviously I'll want him to stay here overnight for observation, though."

"Of course," Roy says.

Johnny groans in annoyance from the bed and the doctor smirks.

A few minutes later, the x-ray machine is wheeled in so Dixie and Roy step out for a bit. They linger outside the door for a moment, listening to Brackett and the x-ray technician talking to Johnny as they snap the photos of his spinal column.

After a while, Dixie smiles sympathetically at Roy. "How's about a cup of coffee, huh?" she asks, straightening from her lounged position againist the wall.

"Nah, I better not," Roy says. "I'm still a little...shaken up. Caffeine wouldn't help much."

"Yeah, just thought I'd offer," Dix mutters. "So...how'd this happen?"

Roy sighs and rubs the back of his neck, trying to work out the tension. "We were responding to a man-down in an alleyway behind that restaurant on 30. Johnny went to get stokes and I guess he saw the guys who shot our victim, so he made a call to dispatch. Cops didn't get there fast enough, though...and Johnny got shot. The engine showed up a few seconds later and held 'em off until the LAPD got there..."

"Wow..." Dixie shakes her head sullenly. "What a way for it to happen...you must've been real worried."

"Yeah, I was..."

That's when the door to Johnny's room opens and Brackett's peeks his head out. "Dix, mind helping out for a minute in here?"

"Sure thing, Kel." Dixie turns back to Roy and squeezes his hand. "You heard Kel earlier, Johnny's gonna be fine."

"I know," Roy assures her. "You better get in there. I'm gonna go make a few calls."

"Alright, I'll let you know when we're done."

"Thanks, Dixie."

* * *

As it turns out, it takes a few hours before Brackett is satisfied with all his tests and Johnny is moved to his own room. By that time, the entirety of station 51's A-shift is seated in the waiting room, chatting quietly amongst themselves as they wait to visit their injured friend.

Roy has just gotten off the phone with Joanne, having spent nearly fifteen minutes trying to convince her not to jump in the car and fly down here. With his wife borderline calm, knowing that their friend is okay, Roy is just about to join his coworkers when Doctor Brackett comes around the corner.

It's an unspoken agreement among the men to "not notice" how quickly Chet springs to his feet upon seeing the doctor. Nor how eager he sounds when he asks if Johnny is alright.

"He's going to be just fine, fellas," Kel says with a tired grin. "The bullet missed all the vital parts and there was a clean entry and exit wound. He lost a lot of blood, but once he's got his strength back up, he should be alright to return to work."

The collective sigh of relief is almost tangible. Captain Stanley shakes the doctor's hand and thanks him profusely before Marco asks if it's okay for them to go back and visit.

"Just for a few minutes, he's still pretty wiped out."

"Alright! Thanks, Doc!"

* * *

Despite Brackett's warning, Johnny is wide awake when the firemen enter his room, guided by Dixie. Not only is he awake, he's on the phone.

Seeing his coworkers enter, Johnny flashes a smile and holds up his hand in a 'just a second' gesture. Dixie shakes her head in disbelief.

"I coulda' swore he was out of it just ten minutes ago..." She mutters.

"Well, you know Johnny, nothing will keep him from talking to a pretty girl..." Roy remarks with a sigh.

"A girl? What makes you think he's talking to a girl?"

"Who else would he be calling at this hour? He was supposed to be on a date with Bethany right now."

"Oh, is that right?"

"Yup...just listen."

Surely enough... "Yeah, yeah, I'm real sorry, Beth. Wha-no, no, you don't have to come down here, I'm still pretty groggy from the medicine, I, uh, haha, I don't think I'd be very good company right now. Yeah. Yeah, it's-hey, why don't we try again this time next week? Oh suuure, I'll be outta here by then! Yeah! Okay...okay...yeah...alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright? Okay, bye." Johnny hangs up the phone before turning a bright grin to his awestruck shiftmates. "Guess who still has a date with a gorgeous lawyer?"

"Ughhh..."

"Johnny, uh," Roy begins, trying desperately to think of a way out of this worn out conversation. "Oh! That cardiac victim we brought in is gonna be just fine. Doctor Early has him blood thinners and a special diet so he's been sent home."

"Really? That's great, glad to hear it!"

"Yeah and that guy, the uh-the gun shot victim," Kelly chimes in. "He's gonna be fine too, but turns out he'll be doing most of his recovering in the slammer..."

"Really..."

"Yeah, turns out he's got all kinds of warrants on him."

"Huh. Well, glad to know he'll be okay, at least..."

"Yeah, well, speaking of which, how're you feeling?" Roy asks, sitting on the edge of his partner's hospital bed.

"Eh, I'm alright. Little woozy feeling but that's just the meds."

"The meds were supposed to put you to sleep." Dixie grumbles, striding over to check his IV and drips, just to be sure the aid hooked everything up correctly. Which she did.

"I'm a little bummed, though," he admits. "You shoulda' heard Bethany on the phone. She was almost beside herself. I'm telling you guys, she really is something... Too bad about our date..."

"Well, at least you've still got your rain check," Roy says, giving up on trying to avoid the inevitable. "She seems to be pretty fond of you, Junior."

"Yeah, I'm surprised," Dixie says, earning a raised eyebrow from Johnny.

"And _why_ would you be surprised about _that_ , Dixie?" Johnny demand, sitting up in his bed just to fold his arms.

"Oh, nothing...just...well I never thought I'd see the day that you might actually settle down with one girl, Johnny..."

"Oh-ho man! Can you imagine? _Gage_ as a married man?" Chet hoots with laughter just at the thought.

"Married...?" Johnny whispers to himself, paling visibly. But no one seems to hear him.

"Married to a _lawyer_! Man, forget about _ever_ winning any of those couple's arguments!"

"You know, I never thought about that," Stoker says, rubbing his chin. "That's a real shame. I can't win an argument with my wife to save my soul and she's a librarian!"

"Oh! Oh man! And their kids!" Chet laughs and Johnny flushes.

"Wha-what about my kids?!" he demands, scrambling for the telephone again. Rolling his eyes, Roy places a hand on his partner's shoulder.

"Johnny, you don't have kids, remember?"

"Yeah, I-"

"He will if he keeps this up, though." Kelly chuckles.

"Chet," Stanely scolds. "The man's all drugged up with morphine, don't mess with his head."

Chet shrugs but continues grinning at the absurd thought. It's only then that anyone notices Johnny feverishly dialing the bedside phone.

"Who, uh, who're you calling now, Johnny?" Roy asks, glancing back at the captain.

"Bethany." Gage replies, lifting the phone to his ear.

"Why...?"

"To cancel our date."

"Wha-Johnny! Hey, come on, pal, I was only kidding!" Chet says, reaching for the phone to pull it away from him, but the paramedic swats him away.

"I know that, Chet! It's just uh...weeell..."

The firemen lean in expectantly.

"Well I've just never really been fond of lawyers, that's all. Oh, hi, Beth! Yeah, hey it's Johnny again..."

"I cannot believe this."

"This is unbelievable."

"Actually, for Gage, this is pretty believable..."

"I'm going back to the station..."

"Me too."

"Unbelievable."

* * *

 _ **A/N: So...that happened... X'D I hope you guys enjoyed this extremely weird story.**_


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